Spiral

In the end, it took an additional six full months for Gaia to reach a level where she was able to walk without the direct support of another person. During this rehabilitation period, nearly every resident of the Inner Sanctum had been given the opportunity to enjoy a much-needed vacation, including Vahn's 'students'. This had included Mordred, Mash, Sakura, Zoë, Astrid, and Scáthach. As for Ciel, she had departed for Japan nearly two months prior.

Vahn was aware that Shiki had started to develop a faction of his own, led by none other than his younger sister, the current head of the Tohno family, Akiha Tohno. The latter was a brilliant, decisive, and decidedly 'ruthless' woman, who, post-Fall, quickly rose to prominence after allying with a few older families and crushing various yakuza groups. Upon her reunion with Shiki, she had even gone as far as to divorce her husband, who, days later, vanished from the face of the earth.

When Vahn first met Akiha, a cool beauty with long black hair and deep-blue eyes, she had given him a very similar impression to Loki. She was an extremely calculating woman, but, if he was asked to define her most noteworthy trait, it was a borderline obsession with her brother. At some point in the past, she had sacrificed half her life to preserve Shiki's, and, from that moment on, she had been a doting, yet possessive, younger sister. She constantly worried about him since their youth, feelings that eventually became a deep and passionate love once they matured.

If not for the fact Shiki had died at a very young age, there was very little doubt that he and Akiha would have become husband and wife. This was largely due to the fact that they weren't related by blood, causing Akiha's inhibitions to vanish in their entirety. The only thing that had prevented them from being together was the resistance of her family, but, after becoming the Family Head and ruling with a decidedly heavy hand, there were none to oppose her decisions.

A few years after Shiki's death, Akiha had ended up marrying a man from another orthodox family of demon hunters. This was a purely political marriage, and, even after several years of marriage, Akiha had never so much as allowed her husband to touch her. When it came time to produce an heir, they even used a surrogate mother, as, in Akiha's heart, the only man 'worthy' of her was the one she had given half her life and all of her heart to.

Needless to say, Vahn had a few inhibitions regarding Akiha's ruthless behavior, but, considering the sincerity she showed towards the Empire, he decided to ignore it. She was extremely thankful for the fact that he had returned Shiki to her, and, from the moment of their first meeting, she had dutifully followed the Common Law. Her only real complaint seemed to be that her brother had, very quickly, gathered many of his former lovers. In the end, however, she tolerated their presence, as, with how drastically the world was changing, having powerful and loyal allies was a must.

If the Tohno family was ever to oppose the Empire in the future, it would undoubtedly be the result of Shiki's 'heroic' ideals. Even then, however, he would have to somehow convince Akiha, but, after losing him the first time, there was little chance she would allow him to do something so dangerous. She was an exceptionally intelligent woman, so, while Shiki seemed incapable of understanding the consequences of his actions, she was smart enough to prevent him from doing anything that would endanger all of their lives.

In exchange for Akiha's 'loyalty', Vahn had privately used Nirvana Rebirth on her, as, after giving up half her life to Shiki, she would be nearing the end her own by the time she turned forty. This was a secret he had promised to keep, and, though it wasn't intended to be used as leverage against her, Akiha seemed to interpret it as such. Thus, unless something extreme happened, she would keep a close watch on Shiki, forcing him to focus on 'protecting their home', rather than 'fighting a foreign Empire'. She also had the support of many of Shiki's former lovers, as, much like Akiha, they were not in a hurry to see the resurrected Hero suicide against a seemingly unstoppable force...

---

After emerging from Arcueid's Marble Phantasm for the seventh time, Vahn had a reminiscent smile on his face as he looked around at the familiar Ivory Castle. He had been missing his children quite a bit, as, from his perspective, it had been a little more than seven months since he saw them last. This wasn't a particularly long period of time, but, after experiencing a few drastic changes, reestablishing a baseline would be necessary...

As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn turned to the six young women, passing his gaze over each of them with a few complex emotions in his heart. A lot of things could change in a month, and, due to various circumstances, he was now a little 'too close' to some of the girls. Mash had even used the opportunity to confess her feelings a few days after entering the Marble Phantasm, resulting in a few unexpected developments, the majority of which were 'machinated' by Mordred.

With the exception of Astrid and Sakura, most of Vahn's students had developed a strong crush on him. This had originally started off as gratitude and respect, but, due to the progress of their training and the 'massage treatments' they had received, their emotions had blossomed into something that couldn't simply be explained away as puppy love. Rather, Mash seemed wholly intent on joining his personal entourage int he future, her Loyalty having already exceeded five digits in value.

For a time, Vahn had hoped Mash might develop a crush for her Heroic Spirit, Richard, but, despite openly admitting he was very handsome, she never developed any affections for him. Rather, it was very difficult to 'like' someone who, due to their carelessness, often caused you considerable harm. His 'training' often resulted in several broken bones, and, if not for the existence of several powerful healers within the Empire, Mash had little doubt his actions would have resulted in her becoming a cripple.

At this point, Mash was a young woman of nineteen, and, though she didn't believe she was 'worthy' of her Master's affection, she still mustered up the courage to confess. This was largely compelled by Mordred, who, taking advantage of the fact they would be 'alone' for an entire month, pressured the other girls into doing things they otherwise wouldn't have even considered.

Mash's confession near the very beginning was only the very tip of the iceberg, and, though things never developed to the point of no return, even Vahn was surprised by how dangerous Mordred's [Charisma] could be when she was left to her own devices. It wasn't for no reason that she had been able to become the leader of a rebellion despite having no particular interest in leading a coup. Her words, actions, and 'confidence' compelled people to get pulled along by her whims, and, due to a surprising understanding of Vahn's character, many of her plans ended in 'minor victories'.

By the time three days had passed in the Marble Phantasm, it became 'normal' for a version of Vahn to sleep in the same room as the girls, each wearing animal pajamas. This led to small events such as pillow fights and such occurring, but, after a few more days had passed, things escalated to the point of playful wrestling and 'excessive' cuddling. From there, Mordred managed to convince the others, even Scáthach, to try and pressure him into playing games like 'Truth or Dare'.

At first, Vahn had prevented things from getting out of hand by directly expressing his views on how they should behave as young women, but, before he realized it, even Sakura was on Mordred's side, convincing him it wasn't a bid deal. Rather, there had been a time when it made her sad that he was unwilling to take a bath with him, back when he had first been identified as her father. She had been fond of the small amounts of intimacy and kinship she had been able to experience in the past. Now, she had someone she liked, so, with Mash being her best friend, Sakura wanted to support her.

With even the 'voice of reason' within the group corrupted by Mordred, Vahn's only hope was to use Arcueid as a replacement. Unfortunately, she instantly 'betrayed' him the moment he invited her to stay in the same room with the girls. She enjoyed the sleepover structure they had been using since a few days prior, and, though her time with Vahn was always worthwhile, Arcueid was weak when it came to experiencing new things. She had always wanted to attend a slumber party, and, though she had the appearance of a very mature woman, that didn't stop her from wearing a set of adult-sized koala pajamas and allying with the other girls...

Vahn managed to last a few more days against the combined assault of Mordred's faction. In the end, however, he was left without a path of retreat, as, due to his insistence, the mood within the Marble Phantasm had been gradually decreasing. Mash even thought she was to blame for ruining everyone else's fun, leading to an awkward scene where she apologized with her forehead touching the ground. That had been the straw that broke the came's back, as, more than anything else, Vahn was weak against sincerity and misplaced blame...

After a long heart-to-heart with Mash, and a light spanking for Mordred, Vahn ended up giving in to the groups 'demands'. As a result, he learned just how dangerous the curiosity of adolescents could be. With the exception of Sakura, who was only around fourteen, everyone else was either 'ageless' or between the ages of seventeen and nineteen. Though their appearances didn't exactly reflect this, largely due to the 'treatments' they had received, they were still young women who, as a result of their circumstances, had a lot of pent up 'curiosities'. Even Astrid wasn't an exception to this, despite having a 'very' strong preference for members of the same sex.

Though things had been relatively 'tame' at first, involving the confession of various personal secrets, such as who liked who, things quickly devolved when Sakura, of all people, 'dared' Zoë and Astrid to kiss. This started off as little more than a light peck on the lips, but, after a series of teasing remarks, courtesy of Mordred, the two ended up making out for nearly a full minute. Vahn realized he should have stopped things then and there, but, due to the recent memory of Mash's apology, he ended up falling into the pace of people much younger than him.

Things became more troublesome when, immediately after the first serious dare, Astrid eyed Arcueid with glimmering eyes, daring her to leave the buttons of her pajamas undone for the remainder of the game. It was the kind that buttoned up from the front, so, after Arcueid unhesitantly complied, it was possible to see her white-lace bra and the fair skin of her abdomen. This elicited an audible gulp from Astrid, causing nearly everyone present, included Arcueid, to laugh.

With Arcueid behaving as if everything was normal, Vahn had missed another opportunity to bring the game to an end. As a result, the buxom Divine Spirit immediately zeroed in on him, her sapphire blue eyes glimmering with eagerness and expectation as she dared him to kiss her. Unfortunately for them both, Mordred instantly pointed out that the person issuing the dare couldn't make others do anything directly to them. This resulted in Arcueid pouting for a brief moment as her eyes wandered around the group before stopping on Mash...

Arcueid was aware of the fact Mash had confessed to their Master, so, with the intention of helping out her junior, she happily gave up the opportunity to the bashful, lavender-haired, beauty. This was where things began to truly spiral out of control, as, after kissing Mash, Vahn had set a 'precedent' that allowed for further escalation.

After a relatively tame kiss, Mash's eyes had glazed over slightly, causing Vahn's heart to palpitate a few times due to her fiercely blushing face. She was already a very beautiful young woman so it had left a deep impression on his heart after seeing how happy she was with a simple, three-second kiss. Her eyes contained an uncommon amount of devotion, and, for a brief moment, Vahn found himself drawn toward her dampened lips like a magnet. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was how silent the surroundings had become, as, due to how intensely he and Mash were staring at each other, everyone present was holding their breaths in anticipation...

When Mash noticed where her Master was looking, confusion flashed across her eyes as if she had only just then remembered where they were. Immediately afterward, she retreated back to her seat, covering her crimson face by pulling down the hood of her dog-pajamas. She had never been more embarrassed in her entire life, but, if you were to look closely, it was easy to see she was very happy as her mouth curled into a natural smile despite her perturbance.

With the ball in his court, Vahn proposed the idea of bringing the game to an end, earning a series of mild complaints from everyone except Scáthach and Mash. Thus, in a last-ditch effort to break the downward spiral, he asked Astrid what her dream was. In the past, she had only wanted to surround herself with animals so he was genuinely curious whether or not her goals had changed over the last few years.

What Vahn never expected was for Astrid to rather boldly state, "If possible, I would like to become an attendant in Master's harem. There are so many beauties within the Inner Sanctum, I don't think I would be happy anywhere else. If it's Master...I wouldn't mind doing naughty things..."

When he had first heard Astrid's response, Vahn felt as though he had stepped on a landmine that exceeded an A-Rank Noble Phantasm. He had somewhat expected Astrid to get involved with one of her classmates, specifically Rani or a young red-head named Martha. They had all gotten along 'very' well with each other, so, hearing her spontaneously admit to wanting to join his harem, specifically so she could spend time with his women, his mind completely blanked out...

Without waiting for her Master to recover, Astrid completely undermined his vain attempt to try and deescalate things, targetting Arcueid a second time, albeit with the intention to 'help'. She dared the over-eager golden-haired beauty to give Vahn a passionate kiss, causing Arcueid to happily 'pounce' on him. Then, like a group of eager students, all of the girls within the circle fell silent, observing with unblinking eyes as Arcueid greedily kissed their Master without inhibitions. The kiss lasted for several minutes, and, by the end of the unexpectedly intense display, nearly everyone was sitting with their legs tightly closed...

In hindsight, Vahn realized it had been a mistake to include Arcueid without explaining his intentions clearly. She had a cheerful and easy-going personality, so, if given the opportunity to do something fun and exciting, she was quick to get carried away. She had spent a considerable amount of time in self-imposed isolation, binding her own body with chains to restrain her destructive impulses. Now, she was free to live the life she had always imagined, free from all of the things that had forced her to live a cursed existence.

When Arcueid finally pulled her lips away from Vahn's, there was a thin line of saliva still linking them for a brief moment. She quickly got rid of this by licking her lips in an inadvertently alluring manner, and, before the tensions could fade, she continued to stare directly into his eyes, saying, "I dare you to kiss Mash in the same manner..."

In the days following the first game of Truth or Dare, the atmosphere within the Marble Phantasm had become tense with excitement and skewed expectations. Vahn had severely underestimated the curious nature of adolescents that had aligned with each other towards a common goal. As a result, skinship became completely 'normal' within the group, their animal pajamas becoming something akin to 'sexy' Halloween costumes. As for his relationship with Mash, things developed a lot faster than he expected, culminating in her proactively entering the bath with little more than a washcloth to cover her voluminous breasts, leaving her lower half completely exposed...

Had Mash not come to some kind of 'secret' agreement with Mordred, Vahn knew he would have undoubtedly emerged from the Marble Phantasm with another lover. Mash had a natural charm, a caring personality, and a hard-working nature. What made matters even 'worse' was that, prior to the events within the Marble Phantasm, most of the women within the Inner Sanctum had already come to expect that she would eventually join his harem. This made it difficult, if not impossible, to refuse her sincerity, as, compared to some of his 'wayward' lovers, Mash was a very loyal and earnest young woman...

Fortunately, Mash seemed intent on increasing her strength by a considerable amount before she acted on her emotions. It wasn't exactly necessary, as Vahn, very rarely, had any kind of expectations or requirements for his women. It actually bothered him how some of them 'needed' to feel worthy of his affection, even though they were already amazing women. Though he understood where they were coming from, it still made him feel a considerable amount of guilt when he saw someone push themselves for approval he would readily grant them. Still, he would never 'force' them to give up on the path they had decided for themselves, so, if Mash was serious about increasing her strength, he would support her until she believed herself qualified for his affections...

(A/N: This is a bit of a strange chapter. People kept mentioning Shiki, and, due to a past donation, I had already promised to try and include Mash into the harem. The Nasuverse arc is coming to an end relatively soon, so, while it isn't a pressing matter, I felt this was an opportunity to extrapolate on a few things. I am aware of how awkward the chapter is, but, unless you had a relatively 'tame' youth, I don't believe it is necessary to explain how 'dangerous' young adults can be if they believe they can get away with it. Besides, I had already established that Vahn had been nourishing the bodies of his students. This requires them to, at the very least, expose their bare backs to him. After this happens a few hundred times, it would be strange if nascent feelings didn't develop.)

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